Preschool education sprouts in big cities

More parents than ever are sending their children to preschool. Preschool education centers, especially playgroups, are growing rapidly in big cities like Jakarta. Most of them are crowded with toddlers. The Jakarta Post reporters Devi M. Asmarani, Imanuddin, Kosasih Deradjat, Listiana Operananta, Primastuti Handayani, Riyadi and Sri Wahyuni investigate developments in preschool education, especially playgroups. Related stories are on Page 3 and Page 9.

JAKARTA (JP): Education starts in the womb and ends in the tomb, says education psychologist Zakiah Daradjat.

What she means is that the simple gesture of caressing a pregnant stomach can stimulate a baby's mind in the same way an intellectual conversation inspires an adult's mind.

The importance of early childhood education is being taken more seriously now not only by parents and educators, but entrepreneurs as well.

And who can blame investors? The market is ripe.

The cost of education continues to rise and a good private school for young children can cost as much as a college education. Early childhood education is a big profit-making industry with high revenue, low expenditure and not much competition.

But the industry is growing at a rapid pace. Just take a stroll through Pondok Indah, South Jakarta and see. Four years ago the Pondok Indah Montessori preschool was the only preschool on Jl. Metro Pondok Indah. Now there are at least five.

Even with five in the one street they still manage to fill their playgrounds, some even have waiting lists.

"Competition might be growing but there is still a high demand for places," said Ingrid Suria, the managing director of Kemang Tutor Time playgroup in South Jakarta.

She said Tutor Time had a waiting list for the July intake. "And I know other playgroups also have waiting lists."

But how important is early education for our toddlers? Has the growth in the number of playgroups sprung out of real demand? Or is it just another middle class trend sweeping the country?

Child psychologist Fauziah Aswin Hadis said children needed a place to express themselves physically and intellectually. By the age of three, a child needs a social life outside his or her small world of family and babysitters.

Educated, middle-class parents want their children to succeed at school so they send their children to playgroups, Fauziah said.

But she said that mothers with enough spare time should not send their kids to playgroups more than three times a week.

Zakiah said maternal care was still the most important care in a young child's life. If this is not an option then professional Daycare centers or playgroups are good.

Preschool education falls into three categories depending on a child's age. Daycare centers cater for kids up to two years old, playgroups cater for two to four year-old toddlers and kindergartens for four to six year-olds.

Preschools

The late Maria Montessori is probably the best known name in early childhood education. She pioneered many of the changes to modern childhood education.

Fauziah, like Montessori, believes the age of three is the most active year in a person's life.

Montessori developed an unconventional system of education for children in 17th century Italy. It stressed the importance of letting children develop naturally by stimulating their motor, sensory, intellectual and language skills.

The system is practiced in Montessori and non-Montessori schools throughout the world and has become the foundation of modern education for children.

In Indonesia, preschool education centers are usually only used by the middle classes. And a third of the 292 playgroups in the country are in Jakarta.

Preschool education centers offer programs for children from as young as 10 months to about four years old.

Some playgroups are franchises and many of these are from the United States, which explains their relatively high fees. Fees range from as little as US$300 to $1,500 per child for three months.

Tutor Time, Gymboree, Tumble Tots, Kinderland and High Scope are franchises. Most use English as their communication medium.

Some franchises cater mostly for the children of expatriates. Eighty-five percent of the children at Tutor Time are children of expatriates.

Although franchises often strictly follow their franchisor's programs, other education centers develop their own.

Take the Gymboree playgroup in Pondok Indah, Menteng (Central Jakarta) and Kelapa Gading (North Jakarta) as examples. These U.S. franchises focus on stimulating children's motor skills through physical activity.

"Our program is designed to develop their self-confidence by emphasizing socialization not their academic progress," says Indra Surni, the manager of PT Bina Balita Gembira which carries the Gymboree license in Indonesia.

It costs US$50 to enroll, and US$300 every three months for younger kids to spend 45 minutes a day there twice a week. Older children can spend 75 minutes a day there twice a week.

Like Gymboree, Tumble Tots and Kidsport also concentrate on developing self confidence through physical activity.

Kidsport in Pondok Indah offers programs for kids as young as six months and has a well known play facility, called Adventure Challenge, which is open to the public.

Unlike Gymboree, Kidsport teaches in bahasa Indonesia.

Other playgroups are more rigid in their programs.

Teddy Bear playgroups offer programs that are more academic and strictly follow the U.S. curriculum. Kids three years old and over are taught basic math and science, arts and crafts, English, music and computer use.

Teddy Bear's fees are high. The registration fee is $500 and tuition fees range from $500 to $725 per quarter, depending on the location.

Tutor Time charges parents US$750 a child for two and a half months, three days a week, and US$1,450 five days a week. Kids spend four hours there a day.

Also on offer are playgroups that combine modern education with Islamic teaching, like the Al-Falah playgroup in Cibubur, East Jakarta, and Al-Izhar playgroup in Cinere, South Jakarta.

There are also playgroups that cater for low income families. The Bina Anaprasa preschools in Kwitang and Johar Baru, both in Central Jakarta are run by the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association. They charge parents a maximum of Rp 5,000 a month for each child.

Sumiyati, 48, has a six-year-old daughter who goes to the Kwitang Bina Anaprasa preschool. She said her daughter had become more disciplined since joining the playgroup.

"I get to participate in some of her activities, like the once a year school trip," said Sumiyati, who has 10 children.